In the Beginning
by AuroraMercury67
Summary: Oliver Twist. This is the Dodger’s story. It is the story of how he came to live with Fagin and what happened once he was there.
1. Tragedy

**In the Beginning**

**Summary: **This is Dodger's story. The story of how he came to live with Fagin and what happened once he was there.

**A/N: **I'm not thrilled about the prospect of having two stories going at once, but I got this idea and had to go with it. I am not abandoning my other story, but I may not be updating it for a while. I am suffering from a severe case of writer's block. I hate it. So, don't think that I am abandoning the other story because I'm not. I will continue it when I think of something to write about. Thanks!

**Chapter 1: Tragedy**

Jack was only six years old when his parents died. He had been out playing with his friends near his home on the East side of London. He had left early that morning, taking along an apple for his lunch, and had returned before dark. His mother had told him to be home early that day because she and his father had a surprise for him.

Jack knew the surprise had something to do with his birthday. He was turning six today, after all. He was never one to disobey his mother. She had never done anything to make him want to. His parents were good, kind people. They were relatively wealthy, though they did not care to brag about it. Jack and his older brother, Benjamin, were well-behaved children, known among society as two of the brightest boys in London.

On that fateful birthday, Jack hurried home as soon as he noticed the sun beginning to sink in the sky. He was anxious to see what his parents had gotten him. He burst through the front door and in his excitement, forgot to wipe the mud off his shoes first. He made a muddy trail through the house, calling for his mother. He was instead greeted by the butler, Rolland.

"Good evening, Master Dawkins," Rolland greeted dryly. "Your parents are not home yet, though I expect they will be here shortly."

"Oh," Jack was somewhat disappointed. "That's alright. I'll just wait for them then. May I have something to drink?"

"Certainly, I will fetch you some water."

"Actually," the child's eyes gleamed mischievously. "Can I have some of the stuff my father keeps locked up?"

"Of course not," the butler replied. "Young children such as yourself are not allowed to have liquor. You know that."

"But I'm six now! Please?" Jack pleaded.

"No, your parents would be very disappointed in me if they found out I have been serving you alcohol. I am afraid I cannot do that."

"They don't have to know," Jack tried.

Rolland gave him a look that clearly said he would not give in.

"Fine," Jack pouted. "I'll have water."

"Very well, sir," Rolland said as he turned to fetch some water for the child.

Jack stood in the entrance hall with his arms folded across his chest while he waited for the butler to return. He turned when he heard footsteps behind him.

"Happy birthday, Jack," Ben cried. "So, how old are you today? Twenty-seven?"

Jack laughed.

"No, of course not! You know that. You're only eighteen and I'm younger than you are."

"Oh, of course," Ben laughed along with his brother. "I guess I had just forgotten momentarily. I'm so sorry."

They were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Maybe that's Mum and Dad!" Jack cried jumping up and down.

"No, I don't think so," Ben replied, staring out the window. "They wouldn't knock."

"They would if they didn't want me to see my surprise," Jack continued smiling, not noticing that his brother had grown very solemn.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go answer the door!" Jack persisted.

Ben called for Rolland, but Rolland did not respond. He must have been too far away to hear him calling.

"The door's right there," Jack said exasperatedly. "Either stop being lazy and answer the door yourself or I'll do it."

"You're not allowed to answer the door," Ben muttered, absently ruffling Jack's hair. "I'll get the it. You go find Rolland."

Jack immediately ran through the house in search of the butler, not stopping until he ran into something causing water to fall on his head. He looked up to see Rolland standing there with a now empty cup.

"There's someone at the door," Jack said quickly. "Ben wanted me to come get you."

Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed Rolland's hand and pulled him to the entrance hall where Ben was standing, speaking with two policemen. Ben was looking quite pale, but Jack took no notice of this and took the liberty of making his presence known.

"I found him!" he announced.

The three men looked up abruptly, and for the first time, Jack got the feeling that something was wrong. He dropped Rolland's hand and walked to where Ben and the policemen were standing.

Ben smiled grimly and knelt down beside him.

"Jack," he began slowly. "There's been an accident. Something bad has happened."

Jack just stared back at his brother, not understanding.

"Mum and Dad are hurt," Ben continued. "They aren't coming home."

Jack blinked, his eyes filling with tears.

"Never?" he whispered.

Ben shook his head. Jack began to cry.

"But it's my birthday!" he cried. "Mum promised she'd have a surprise for me when I got home. She promised!"

"I know," Ben said, trying to comfort him. "But we can't change what happened. She wanted to be here. I know she did. She didn't mean to miss your birthday."

"Then why did she?" Jack asked, calming slightly.

Ben closed his eyes and sighed before continuing.

"She and Father left this morning to visit some friends. They were going to come back for your birthday, but before they even got to where they were going, the horses pulling their carriage got scared and started running. They ran off a bridge, and Mum and Dad were killed."

Jack wiped his eyes.

"Who is going to watch us?" he asked.

"Well," Ben replied. "I am eighteen. I'm old enough to live on my own, but you are only six. You will have to go live with Grandmother in the northern part of the country."

"No!" Jack screamed loudly. "I don't want to live with Grandmother! I don't like Grandmother! I can live on my own, too! I can live with you. Can I, Ben? Can I please?"

Ben looked at Rolland for support but found none.

"No, I'm afraid not," Ben said sadly. "I wish you could, but I don't think I can manage you by myself. It's better this way."

Jack began to cry again.

"No it's not!" he screamed through his tears. "I hate you! You don't want me around anymore."

Ben opened his mouth to say that was not true, but before he could speak, Jack ran up the stairs. Several seconds later, a door slammed.

Ben sighed. He would talk to Jack later. He turned back to the policemen.

Jack threw himself on the floor of his room as soon as the door was closed behind him. There, he curled up in a ball and cried himself to sleep.

When Ben came to see if Jack was hungry. He found his brother asleep on the floor and decided to leave him there. He needed to rest after what he had just been through.

When Jack woke up, it was late, and he was hungry. He opened his door and crept into the dark hall. He stopped when he was halfway down the stairs and listened to the voices in the kitchen.

"I want him to stay here with me," Ben was saying. "But I can't handle him. He has to go live with Grandmother."

"Yes, of course," he heard Rolland say. "You are doing what's best for him."

"I hope so," Ben sighed. "I felt terrible when he ran off like that after I told him. Maybe I shouldn't tell him that he will be leaving for Grandmother's tomorrow."

Jack stopped listening and went back to his room. He did not want to live with his grandmother. She did not like children. He would certainly be miserable there.

So, he did the only thing he could think of. He packed all of his belongings into his suitcase and left the house without making a sound. But before walking out the door, he stopped at the coat rack and took his father's hat. It had been his father's favorite hat. He had only worn it for special occasions. Jack had often been allowed to wear it on the carriage ride to parties. It reminded him of his father. Shoving the hat on his head, he left the house, never to return again.

There he stood on the street corner, six years old with a suitcase full of clothes and a hat that was four times too big for him. And so, Jack Dawkins began his quest to wherever it was he was going. Even he did not know what life had in store for him.

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading! Please review. I'd like to know how this is so far so I know whether to continue or not. I'd really appreciate your comments. Thank you! 


	2. A New Life

**In the Beginning**

**DISCLAIMER:** Believe it or not, I am not Charles Dickens. _Gasp!_ Sorry to disappoint all of you. I assure you that most of these characters and some of the plot belongs to him, wherever he may be buried.

**SUMMARY: **This is the Dodger's story. It is the story of how he came to live with Fagin and what happened once he was there.

**A/N:** Here's chapter two. Thanks for the reviews!

**Chapter Two: A New Life**

Jack walked farther than he had ever walked before in his life. He had to get far away from home before someone noticed he was gone and came after him. He knew he had to get away but he didn't think he would be able to walk much farther. He managed to walk all the way to the very center of London before daybreak.

He did not know where he was going or what he would do once he was there, but he kept going anyway. He was not very tired because he had slept for quite some time before he left home. And so, he continued to walk until he could not stand any longer.

Around noon, Jack found he was growing rather weary. Sitting down on a curb, he rested and watched the carriages go by. He had never been in this area before. It was an entirely new place for the child. Maybe he could live here. He did not realize that he would not be able to stay by himself. He hadn't any money with him.

He asked a vendor for an apple to which the man told him to go away. Jack did not understand why the man was being so mean to him. His parents had always gotten apples for him from the street vendors. Why couldn't he? It must have been because he was a child.

He sat back on the curb and began to watch the people again. It was growing steadily crowded. People were coming out to purchase things from the carts that lined the street. Jack watched as people bought apples and bread with ease. He did not see the vendor turn any of them away.

Something caught Jack's eye and he turned to see a girl in a red dress dash across the street. He watched with interest as the girl walked casually through a crowd of people. None of the people seemed to notice when she stuck her hand in a man's pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, but Jack did. His eyes grew wide in astonishment as the girl hastily stuffed the handkerchief in her pocket and hid in an alley.

Jack watched the alley for any signs of the mysterious girl. Several minutes later, after checking to make sure the coast was clear, she appeared again. This time, she approached an unsuspecting man at a flower stand, stuck her hand in his pocket and took his wallet. Repeating her previous actions, she put the wallet in her pocket and hurried back to the alley.

Jack was curious. Was this how you were supposed to get things you wanted around here? He did not see anyone else taking things from other people.

He cautiously stood up and walked to the apple cart. Making sure the man was preoccupied with another customer, he reached up and grabbed an apple. He placed it under his hat as nonchalantly as possible. Looking around, he was pleased to note that no one had seen him.

Smiling with satisfaction, he looked up to see the girl in the red dress watching him from the alley. Realizing hehad seenher, she winked at him and shrunk back into the shadows.

Jack found a place to sit where he could eat his apple in peace. Nobody seemed to notice him. Apparently, he blended in with the crowd of people. He did not want to be recognized by someone he knew. They would send him to live with his grandmother, and he did not want that.

Several hours later, most of the people had gone home and Jack could be found wandering the streets, exploring the area. He had never been this far from home without either his parents or his brother. He was excited to be out on his own. He did not think to plan where he would stay or what he would eat. These thoughts were far from his mind.

He sat down on a stoop. He was growing incredibly bored with so little to do and no one to play with. Jack had not been sitting there a whole five minutes when someone sat down beside him.

It startled him at first, then, looking up, he recognized the girl as the one he had seen earlier- the one with the red dress.

She smiled warmly at him and he couldn't help but smile back.

She could not have been more than fourteen or fifteen years old. Although she was not very pretty, she had a warmth about her that made her seem kind.

"What's your name?" she asked abruptly.

"Jack," the child said cautiously. "Jack Dawkins."

"Why are you here by yourself?" she questioned.

"My parents are dead," he muttered. "I ran away."

She nodded her head.

"Well," she said, standing up. "I have orders. If you don't have a home, you're to come with me."

He looked at her in confusion.

"I can live with you?" he asked.

"Yes," she laughed. "That is, if you don't mind sharing a room with about seven other boys."

He shook his head.

"Good," she continued. "Come along, then. Fagin wants to meet you."

"Who?"

"Fagin. He takes care of us. You'll like him."

She led him down a series of streets and back alleys.

"By the way," she called over her shoulder to him. "My name's Nancy. I saw you take that apple earlier. Have you ever done that before?"

Jack shook his head, but then realized she couldn't see him.

"No."

"That's what I thought," she replied. "That's why I went back and told Fagin about you. He was rather impressed. Said I should come get you and bring you to him. Apparently, he thinks you have talent."

"Talent?" Jack was struggling to keep up. Nancy walked much faster than he did.

"I think Fagin can explain that better than I can," Nancy said.

They walked in silence for the longest time. It was dark by the time Nancy announced they were almost there.

Jack followed her through several more alleys. Nancy stopped abruptly in front of an old abandoned-looking building. Jack opened his mouth to ask if they were lost, but stopped as Nancy knocked on the door.

A boy about Nancy's age opened the door for them. He led them into a dark hallway and up a flight of stairs. More than once, the boy threw a questioning look at Jack before he and Nancy began a whispered conversation of their own.

They reached the top of the stairs and the sound of several boys talking and laughing met Jack's ears. The boy who had led them to this room smiled at Jack who tried to smile back but failed miserably.

"Nancy!" a boy cried. "You're back! Where'd you go?"

"Who's that?" another boy called out.

There were about five boys sitting around a table. All of them turned to look at Jack as he entered the room with Nancy. He suddenly felt nervous.

Nancy smiled reassuringly at him before turning back to the boy standing beside her and asking where Fagin was.

"Fagin!" she shouted.

An old man appeared only seconds later. He had red hair with a long, matching beard. Jack was not sure if he should laugh at the man or be afraid of him. He settled on just standing in place.

The man Nancy had called Fagin approached Jack and looked at him.

"Is this the boy you told me about?" he asked Nancy.

"Yes," she replied.

"You took an apple off a cart earlier?" he asked, this time to Jack.

"Yes," he said.

"Good boy," Fagin smiled. "I think we can find a place for you here."

"Thank you," Jack said uncertainly.

The boys at the table greeted him, too. The one who had met them at the door introduced himself as John. Jack took an instant liking to John just as he had for Nancy.

Jack was the youngest one there, but only by a year or two. The boys were friendly. They gave Jack food. Fagin, on the other hand, scared him a bit. He ordered Jack to give him his luggage. He said everything was shared around here. Jack obliged and handed over his bag of clothes.

He then sat at the table where the rest of the boys appeared to be waiting for food. Nancy sat next to him. He was surprised when a mug of gin was placed in front of him.

"I can actually drink this?" he asked Nancy.

She laughed.

"Of course you can," she replied. "We wouldn't have given it to you if you couldn't."

He took a sip and made a face. Nancy laughed again.

"You can have water if you want," she offered.

He shook his head.

"No," he said. "It's not that bad."

He did indeed drink the rest of it.

They played a game after they ate. It was an odd game, but Jack enjoyed it nonetheless. He watched each of the boys and Nancy take turns taking things from Fagin's pockets. Jack assumed that this was what they did here with Fagin. They learned how to take things from people.

"Would you like to try?" Fagin asked Jack.

The other children cheered him on as he stood up and walked to where Fagin was standing. He watched the old man walk around the room, pretending not to notice the small child. When Jack thought that Fagin really was not paying him any attention, he stepped forward, and,making sure Fagin had his back turned completely to him, put his finger's in the man's pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. Fagin did not turn around and congratulate him like he had done for the others. So, curiosity getting the better of him, Jack reached for the other pocket and produced a wallet. The old man still did not turn around.

He looked around for someone to tell him what to do. He saw Nancy and John sitting by the table, watching him. John was shaking with silent laughter. Nancy proved to be a bit more helpful She smiled and motioned for Jack to sit down.

Putting the two stolen items in his pocket, Jack sat down beside Nancy. John silently congratulated him.

"Fagin!" Nancy said loudly, breaking the silence in the room.

Only then did he turn around. Spotting Jack sitting across the room he asked if he had given up.

Jack silently shook his head and produced the handkerchief and wallet as evidence. Fagin's eyes grew wide in genuine astonishment. He checked his pockets. They were indeed his belongings.

"You took those," he said slowly. "All by yourself?"

Jack nodded.

"Well done," Fagin exclaimed. "That was by far the best show of pickpocketing I've seen in a long time."

The other boys congratulated him. Jack could not help but smile.

"Yes, you will be fine here," Fagin said. "John! Prepare a place for our new friend to sleep."

As he was drifting off to sleep, Jack felt happier than he had been in a long time. He was going to fit in here and make new friends and everything would be fine. In fact, in all the excitement of the day, he had forgotten why he was here, why he had left home, and why he could not go back.

None of that mattered anymore though. Fagin, Nancy, and the rest of the boys treated him like he was family. He was definitely going to like it here.

* * *

**A/N: **This made me feel better. I got sick at school and vomited all over the place (but I doubt you wanted to know that). I went home early and wrote this chapter. I hope you like it. Thanks to all my reviewers.

**Auburn Red: **Thank you! I enjoyed you review. It made me feel special. I'm glad you like the story. Enjoy chapter two!

**ArtfulDodgerLover: **Your review made me laugh. Thanks for the five stars! Don't sell yourself short. Your story has potential. Add more details to it and make it longer. I like it. Thanks for the review!

**MyStIc BlAcK PhOeNix: **Thank you! I hope you like chapter two!

**Jimmy the Christmas smurf: **What have we told you about watching your mouth? Your language has become very bad lately. I'm glad you approve of this story. You act like you want to marry the hat. That would be odd, but I wouldn't put it past you. No, you're going to marry Joey. Here's chapter 2! Don't kill me!

Read and review!


	3. Conducting Business

**In the Beginning**

**DISCLAIMER:** Believe it or not, I am not Charles Dickens. _Gasp!_ Sorry to disappoint all of you. I assure you that most of these characters and some of the plot belongs to him, wherever he may be buried.

**Summary: **This is the Dodger's story. It is the story of how he came to live with Fagin and what happened once he was there.

**A/N: **This is chapter three. I would like everyone to know that I started this chapter before I even posted chapter two. Sorry, but I had to announce that because I was proud of myself.

**Chapter 3: Conducting Business**

The next morning, Jack woke up slightly confused. He did not remember where he was, but when John greeted him, the events of the previous day came back to him.

Fagin instructed Jack to go with John for the day.

Upon leaving for the day, John informed Jack that they would spend most of their time near the market. Jack agreed that this way fine.

The older boy showed him how to tell which pockets were worth picking and which were not. He also showed him how to know which pockets to look in. He would have to watch the people for a bit before he really got the hang of it.

Jack watched the older boy at work for a while, but soon becoming bored, he asked if he could possibly try to pick a pocket himself.

"No," John said, shaking his head. "I don't think that's a good idea. If you get caught, you will be in a lot of trouble. You should watch first, and maybe in a few weeks you will be ready to try."

"What kind of trouble?" Jack asked curiously.

John smiled.

"If you get caught stealing," he said. "The consequences would be terrible. You would be arrested and locked up. If you're old enough, you could even be hanged."

Jack did not know what to think of this new information.

"If you are ever caught," John continued. "Don't peach. That's the worst thing you could possibly do."

"Peach?"

"Yeah, peach," John tried to explain. "You know, like tattle. Don't tell anyone where Fagin lives or who you work for. That would just get everybody into trouble."

"I won't peach," Jack said.

"No," John corrected. "You won't get caught."

He winked. Jack smiled.

-

Later that night, the other boys were explaining to Jack how much fun he would have while he was there. Jack felt like it was all just one big game. These boys were so carefree.

"Stick with Fagin," John instructed. "He'll teach you how to be a great prig. A prig's a thief," he explained upon seeing the confused expression on the younger boy's face. "You already have talent, but you have to know how to use that talent. You'll be great, I can tell already, one of the best!"

Jack could not help but smile. That would be great, to be one of the best thieves ever. It would be a real accomplishment.

"Picture it," John said dramatically. "You'll be able to pick anybody's pocket without them realizing it. Robbing houses will be as easy as lacing up your boots. You'll never go hungry and you'll never have to work very hard for anything. If you want something, you can just pick a few pockets and it will be as good as paid for. The police will be after you all the time, of course, but they'll never catch you because you're quick."

"But what if they _do _catch me?" Jack asked.

"They won't," Nancy assured him. "Just run if they see you."

Jack nodded. He understood.

He would have to steal as much as possible and not get caught. That was the object of the game.

Fagin entered the room and greeted the boys and Nancy.

"How was work today?" he asked John.

"It was alright," the boy said lazily. "Just an ordinary day."

"And the boy?" Fagin asked irritably.

"He did just fine. I honestly don't know why you sent him with me today, Fagin. The kid's got more talent in his one little finger than the rest of us put together. I'd say he should be able to do the job himself by tomorrow or the next day at the latest."

"Good," Fagin muttered. "Good. He understands the rules?"

"Aye," John nodded.

"He didn't cause any trouble today?"

"Not a bit."

The old man stroked his beard, seemingly in deep thought.

"I suppose he can do his own stealing," he said, eyeing the small boy.

Jack looked up at Fagin from under the rim of his hat.

"Starting tomorrow," Fagin informed him. "You will follow John, but you are allowed to pick pockets on your own accord. You will be allowed to keep a portion of what you earn, but the rest goes to me. If you are caught, no peaching. If seen, run for your life and try to get out of it. Do not, by any means, lead anyone back to this place. Do you understand?"

Jack nodded.

"Good," the Jew said pleasantly. "Then I would suggest you get to sleep for you have a big day ahead of you."

All of the children took this as their cue and crawled into their respective makeshift beds.

-

The next morning could not come fast enough for one very excited Jack Dawkins. It was to be his first real day on the job and he had never anticipated anything more.

He was soon up and ready to leave, but John insisted they eat breakfast at a leisurely pace. He said they had nowhere to go immediately.

However, when they did eventually leave, Jack took off with such speed and exuberance that the older boy had to stop and remind him that he was gambling with his life.

So, the child calmed himself and stealthily wove his way through the morning crowd with John was close behind him. The two walked in silence until the elder took the risk of relieving a gentleman of his handkerchief.

Jack noticed this out of the corner of his eye and decided that it would be safe to try it himself. Spotting a well-dressed young man standing on a corner, Jack made his way over to him. The man appeared to be waiting for someone. He kept checking his watch and glancing around.

Jack approached the man from behind. He paused only for a moment to consider his course of action before deciding. He watched the man check his watch one more time. As the man placed said watch back into his pocket, Jack was there to catch it. The watch fell into the boy's outstretched hand instead of the pocket, but the gentleman did not notice. Quickly detaching the chain, Jack stuffed the stolen item into his pocket and fled.

"There you are!" John exclaimed upon seeing the boy. "How are you doing?"

Jack pulled his newly obtained watch from his pocket.

John was momentarily speechless, but he gracefully recovered in only a few seconds.

"Where did you get that?" he asked.

Jack began to think that maybe he had done something wrong.

"I stole it from a man down the street," he explained. "Was I not supposed to?"

"Oh! It's perfectly fine," the boy assured him. "It's just that those are incredibly hard to get. You're either very lucky or very talented. I'd put my money on the latter."

He winked and they continued with their work.

-

When Fagin told John to show him what he had from the day's work, he was presented with two wallets and a handkerchief.

"Well done," he praised. "And you?" he asked Jack. "Did you manage to find anything?"

Jack stepped forward after receiving a nod of encouragement from a smirking John.

He first pulled out a handkerchief. Fagin congratulated him on his success.

"He's not done yet, Fagin," John announced.

Fagin raised an eyebrow and motioned for the boy to continue.

Next, Jack took a wallet from his pocket and handed it to the Jew. The old man once again congratulated him on a good day's work, but once again he was interrupted by the older boy.

"Wait, Fagin," John said exasperatedly. "Let him finish."

Jack then produced the watch, the last of his pocket's contents.

Fagin raised an eyebrow at John as if asking if the younger boy had indeed stolen the watch himself. John nodded smirking all the while.

There was a knock on the door downstairs. John left to answer it.

"Well, my boy," Fagin said softly. "I believe you may be of some use after all. Well done."

It was then that John reentered, this time accompanied by Nancy.

"What's that, Fagin?" she asked, nodding in the direction of the watch.

"What's it look like?" John said sarcastically.

The girl shot him a dangerous look and he quickly shut up.

"Our young Master Dawkins managed to secure this item for us," Fagin said, ignoring the exchange between his two oldest followers.

Nancy raised an eyebrow at the child who had been silent since his return to Fagin's den. He merely stood there watching what was going on around him.

"Not bad," Nancy commented. "For your first day of work."

"Not bad at all," Fagin said softly. "If you continue on like this, you could be the world's greatest pickpocket in no time."

"Do you say that to everyone?" John asked.

"Yes," Fagin replied. "Because everyone has an equal opportunity to be great, but I think Jack has even more of one."

"Yes, he iscertainly very artful," John said, laughing.

"The Artful," Nancy mused. "I like that. Do you like it?"

Jack nodded uncertainly.

"Well, Mister Artful," John laughed. "I think it's time for bed. We have to work again tomorrow."

Jack nodded.

After the day's excitement, he was asleep in no time.

* * *

**A/N: **Oops. This chapter took a while and I am not very happy with it… at all. Oh well. Hopefully chapter 4 will be better. I'll make it up to you eventually. I promise. It's summer so one would assume I'd have more time to write but I really don't. I'm leaving for Texas tomorrow morning and thought I'd put this chapter up before I left. I'll try to write as much as possible this summer. I'm hoping to finish my other story before I go back to school. Yeah right… wishful thinking. Oh well.

**MyStIc BlAcK PhOeNix: **Thanks! I'm glad you like it. Here's chapter 3.

**Hannah the Fly: **Yay! Thanks! I will definitely not forget the other story. Thanks for reading!

**Auburn Red: **Thank you. I will definitely read your story. We need more Oliver Twist stories.

**jimmy the christmas smurf: **You curse like a sailor! But thanks anyway. Yeah, Dodger is nothing like Oliver. He's definitely more Dodgerish. You understand, right? Yes, Amanda and I do amuse ourselves with your problems. And yes, the hat and Charley will come into play in both stories eventually. Be patient. Thanks for being generous.

**SetszukiLeroux**You should write your Oliver Twist story! I'd read it. Thanks for reading mine! I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**SetszukiLeroux: **Heh, I'm glad you like this story. I realized that Dodger's meeting with Fagin was a lot like Oliver's, but I really couldn't think of any other way for them to welcome new people. So, let's just pretend that this is their routine for all new kids. If that still doesn't work for you I'm sorry, but I can't come up with a better reason. Thanks for reading!

**Maidenhair: **Thank you so much! I will never compare to Dickens, but it's fun to try. That's all I'm doing. I'm just having fun.

**Fhire: **I'm glad you like my story so much. Your reviews make me laugh. Thanks. I like your idea about the diaries. That will be interesting… and very long. Heh…thanks for reading! Enjoy this chapter.

**CYT Catwoman: **Thanks! I hope you like this chapter, too.

Thanks once again to all of my readers and reviewers.

Now, do your jobs and read and review.

Thanks!


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